The Beach
by Lara1221
Summary: Teddy is hungover and Harry needs someone to take the kids to the beach. Now, isn't that a convenient punishment? [Family/Romance/Humor] [For QL semi-finals]


**Disclaimer: **dont own it.

**A/N:** I hope everyone likes it. I figured, already done snow, let's do the water, haha. **Written for (skip):**

**QL semi-finals: harpies' seeker: **chain sentences**; kisses competition: **underwater kiss**; hp chps comp: other minister: **something that happens in the summer.

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><p>"Do you want to go down to the water, Teddy?" asked Victoire, one hot summer day before her seventh year. She had apparated to the house he shared with his grandmother, knocked on the door, and waited until Teddy blurrily opened it. His hair was disheveled and he was still in his pajama pants - Gryffindor proud - and undershirt, his eyes half lidded and his lips formed into a pout. She laughed until she cried.<p>

"Did you just wake up? It's nearly one in the afternoon! This is _the _Edward Lupin who feels he's wasted the day if he's not up and moving about at ten o'clock — the one who woke me up at six, believing I should be bright eyed!"

"Yes, well...jeez, why are you so bloody loud? Why is it so bloody _bright _out?" he threw his arm over his eyes.

"Teddy Lupin," she started in a vicious whisper, smiling in a way that would put her Uncle George to shame, "are you _hungover_?"

"Got in late. Woke up late. Can't handle the world. I think those are the general symptoms, yes. I was at a party, I can go to parties. I've been hungover before, you've seen it. Stop staring at me like the next Merlin."

"More like the next Sir Cadogen," she snorted.

He shot her an indignant glance and stomped his foot playfully. "Why _thank you_, it's an _honor_."

"You've never had it this late in the day. How has Andromeda not wrung your neck?"

"I'm of age!" She waved her hand in a sign of nonchalance. "Whatever. Normally I have the potion. Forgot to have the sense to brew it last night. I don't know, I'm finding that rather all of my logic is disappearing. It's the summer, it can do that to you."

"Okay, I've had it with _you_ this morning. Down to the beach, yes?"

Suddenly, the _crack_ of apparition sounded behind them. "That sounds like a brilliant idea. Could you take the kids for me, Ted? We're all looking for a day off."

"_All_ of them?"

Harry Potter looked away guiltily. "Don't shoot the messenger."

"You _all_ need a day off?"

"The kids are running around the house like mad, and Ron just sent out a distress call. I don't know...it's the middle of the summer and they're bored and for some reason Ginny and I fail to see why we would enjoy taking twelve children to the beach when we could, if my lovely grandson complied, have the house to _ourselves _- "

"Ugh, Uncle Harry!" cried Victoire.

"- you just have to watch the real young ones, and you love them anyway. Come on, T, for me?"

"What if I need a day off?" He attempted to point at his godfather, but pointed at his girlfriend instead. Harry scrutinized him.

"You're hungover," said Harry gleefully.

"Am not."

"I've been hungover, Ted. Don't think about pulling this with me."

Ted wrinkled his nose in thought. "Why are you so goddamn happy about it?"

In a flash, Harry gave him a light hit upside the head. A far cry from Andromeda's methods - he should be grateful. "Punishment: take the kids to the beach!" He apparated away.

Victoire collapsed in laughter while Teddy looked on confused.

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><p>After a sip of potion courtesy of Harry, Teddy turned out to be leading a squadron of people of all ages to the beach. Each of them came through the fireplace at the Potter's, and each of them were behind Teddy and Victoire in a large mob. The beach at Shell Cottage was wonderful, but one of Teddy's favorites was a Muggle one on the coast of Wales.<p>

Teddy loved the water, and he loved to swim. He just wasn't one to jump right in. The ocean was usually cold, and it was usually filled with fish; two things Teddy despised. Once he got in though, he stayed in for hours.

Victoire, Dominique, and Louis, growing up on the water, usually went straight in, and he was no doubt going to be victim of his girlfriend's and er siblings' teasing. Molly was usually reserved: going for small swims, and then lounging on the sand the rest of the time. James, Fred, and Lucy preferred to get in, and wreak havoc while they were at it, while Albus tried to avoid them. Hugo and Lily were the babies. Or, they used to be. He looked at Victoire. Where did the time go?

Molly was spreading out her towel. "I'm going to lay here for a while."

Teddy smiled. "That sounds like plan." He spread out his towel and laid down, leaned back, and closed his eyes in sun filled bliss. Ah, peace.

"Oh no you don't." Without opening his eyes, he frowned. Two hands grasped each of his and before he knew it he was up and being dragged to the water by Hugo and Lily. He fought it on the way down, but he had a feeling Victoire was helping them along with a spell. They were both getting big, but he was still much older and stronger. She was the only other one of age with them. "Jeez, Ted, when did you get so heavy? Are you putting on weight?" asked Hugo, who had received his humor from his Dad.

Ted was not amused, but he didn't have time to do anything about it because his feet were in the water. The cold water. And Lily was pulling him down a little more and oh no there was _stuff _ in the ocean and it was getting closer -

_Splash_.

He pushed up on the sand with his forearms and looked up at both of them, laughing like mad. "Thanks for that."

Lily smiled. "You're quite welcome."

And so a day at the beach for the Weasleys and Potters and the lone Lupin commenced. There were bits of _accidental _magic here and there - the little ones loved pretending they didn't have to abide by the rules. Technically, they didn't, and Lily and Hugo helped James and Fred in many an underwater scheme on their cousins.

He had been in the water for nearly an hour and a half when he decided to swim out a little. Not far, only to just where he couldn't stand, beyond the wave break. Wading and floating there was the most peaceful thing in the world.

Though it wasn't exactly peaceful when someone was tugging on your arm. Victoire waded before him, a grin stretched across her face. "Why did you disturb by beyond-wave-break peace and why are you smiling like that?" he asked in one breath.

She tugged on his arm some more, but brought him below the water. Teddy closed his eyes on instinct, and before he knew it there were a pair of lips pressed up against his, ones that he knew very well. He let Victoire come in close to him and brought his feet up to intertwine with hers beneath the water. Her skin was soft under his fingers and her hair was floating around them. She moved her arms up wrap around his neck, pulling him closer, and he looped an arm around her waist. She pulled back and made a tiny sound in the back of her throat, and then they were kissing again. Teddy was quite sure his air should have run out by now, and then he remembered: _magic_, and he moved his lips with hers to kiss her soundly.

That is, until, the water seemed to change around them. The ocean wasn't supposed to do that...

"Surprise." It was not the water, it was fish. About five fish, of _reasonable _size, swimming in the same water that he was swimming for _Gryffindor's sake _—

"Ah!" he shouted as he broke the surface, swimming as fast he possibly could to the shore, James and Fred laughing like mad men.

He caught his breath on the shore line, before Victoire caught up to him, laughing the whole way. He shot her a look.

"It was funny!" she defended.

"It was not."

She moved forward and pecked his lips. He smiled into her kiss. "Nevermind them. I've always wanted to try that!"


End file.
